Most of us have regularly scheduled meetings that were created to provide updates on something to someone. Initially they were intended to communicate, inform and move the business forward — but lately you have been wondering whether they are a valuable use of time. Some have degenerated into boring and unproductive time wasters — but they continue because they were once deemed important.

One of the main reasons standing meetings degenerate is that they become common place and people tend not to prepare for a standing meeting as much as for a specific meeting that has been called for a specific purpose.

My Perspective: Here are a few tips to get those standing meetings back on track.

  1. Re-evaluate the purpose of the meeting. Is it inertia that has keep them going or is there still a purpose in getting together. If so, get clarity of the expected outcomes that are expected.
  2. Make sure people have a specific role in the meeting. If they don’t — maybe they don’t need to be there and could use their time elsewhere to add more value. Too often we invite people  just to keep them “in the loop”. Look around the room and evaluate what value each person is adding and receiving for their attendance — and then pare back the invite list.
  3. Insist that every meeting has specific topics for discussion that have been identified in advance — versus the  standard “update agenda”. Put the onus on attendees to commit in advance to the topic they will be sharing. Monotonous “updates” don’t do anyone much good.
  4. Make sure action items are identified and summarized at the end of the meeting — then hold each other accountable for delivery. Too many meetings are “updates’ and never seem to generate any action. If no action is required, you have to wonder what the purpose was for the meeting.
  5. Be prepared to cancel the meeting if there is no reason to meet. When people leave a meeting feeling they have wasted their time — they feel dis-respected and dis-engaged. However, if they know that real movement takes place — then they will arrive energized and engaged, ready to get something done.